Writing on Writing

I subscribe to Tom Johnson's "I'd Rather Be Writing" blog. Tom earns his living as a technical writer, as I do, and I frequently find good tips in his writing.

People have asked me what a technical writer is. Basically, I tell people how to do things. My field is computers and technology; I write and edit manuals telling people how to install, upgrade, and use Virtual Hold software and its many components. I install and uninstall our software over and over again on one of our servers, and I make sure the documentation matches, step by step, the actions required to install it correctly and make sure it works. My job requires logical thinking skills, an attention to detail, and a lot of patience.

I did a lot of technical writing before law school, but law school honed my knowledge of how to focus, and how to break complex topics down to the core issues. My previous job, as editor-in-chief of ibm.com/storage, came to me specifically because of my law degree and my ability to think like a lawyer.

Tom Johnson's post earlier this week, What to Blog/Write About, rang true to me. My job isn't all that creative. But my blog fills me with contentment.

I look back at the early posts, and read samples from various points throughout the years—It will be two years old the first of July!—and I'm amazed at how much my writing style as grown and improved through daily use.

The blog started out with a theme—dating, and specifically online dating, over age 50—but over time has just turned into random musings in the life of a lonely pushing-60 widow.

The blog and the writing process feed themselves. I have thoughts throughout the day of posts I want to write. A book I'm listening to, something I hear on the radio during my commute, a movie I watch, a conversation I overhear—all these spawn topics for blog posts. And at almost-59, with no estrogen, I have little short-term memory, so I have to write them down. I use the Notes application on my iPhone to keep a running list of topics I want to blog about.

Motivation? The desire to feel the thrill of creativity and the kind comments from readers. Not many people actually write comments on the blog itself, but I get lots of e-mails. And if I don't write a post for several days, I get e-mails asking if I'm okay.

I encourage you to develop a writing habit. Whether it's a daily two-sentence entry in a journal, a pattern of writing a letter to someone every day, or a blog, I believe the exercise will feed your soul, as it does mine.

Thanks for reading my writing!